Brad del Riccio no Rakuen
by MooseCrew
Summary: TheMooseCrew has decided that often a wonderful concept can be wasted if put in the hands of those that don't know how to use it. So, we have decided to bring hope to these fictions! We present the first ever "Flip my Fiction," where we take lackluster fics, and, if nothing else, make them bearable. We hope you enjoy this one, based on Yokai Shoujo Rakuen by Najee! Harem included.
1. Chapter 1: Into Darkness

I trudged forward, lightly readjusting the strap that almost dug into my shoulder. I took a moment to brush the hair out of my face, looking skyward at the sun that relentlessly beat down on my body. "Leave it to Florida to make even the best days a living nightmare…" I chuckled lightly, continuing forward down the road that I'd walked almost countless times this year.

A smile crept across my face, and my eyes lit up at the prospect of nearly three full months to myself. "Summer vacation…" My words seemed to escape my own lips without my volition. I turned the corner, my house slipping into view in front of me.

It wasn't splendorous by any means… but, we were still quite 'well-off.' My mom, dad and I all lived together in the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. Granted, we didn't get 'well-off' just by chance. They were always trying their hardest at work so that they could retire early, or pay for my college tuition. That meant a lot of nights spent working late, which meant a small amount of family time.

I slipped the key into the keyhole, lightly turning it and throwing the door open. I tentatively stepped inside, scanning the living room before coming up short. "I'm home!" I shouted, my voice simply reverberating through the empty rooms. "Well… it looks like they're working late again." I whispered to myself, slinging my backpack from my shoulder and onto the couch.

I elected to clean out the monstrous pack at a later date. I walked into the bathroom and relieved myself. On my way out, while washing my hands, I looked myself in the mirror.

My name is Brad del Riccio. I stand at around 5 feet and 11 inches, and have at least some meat on my bones. My short brown hair barely covered my forehead and the back of my neck, whose color matched that of my brown eyes. I wasn't particularly popular at school- not by a long shot- but I was far from what most people would consider ugly, or even attractive. I was perfectly mediocre, as some might elect to put it.

After my little episode of looking at myself in the mirror, I turned and opened the door, walking down the hall, towards my room. I slipped my phone out of my pocket, looking at some of the messages that I'd gotten from friends.

Much of it was the standard fare- "See you next year, keep in touch!" I texted many of them back, saying that I would make sure that I did. I scrolled down further and further, finally reaching the one name that my finger hovered over.

"Tomorrow's Saturday…" An ear-to-ear smile plastered itself onto my face. "If that's the case, maybe we could go to the movies!" I clicked on the name, a small set of messages popping up. "Hey…" I read aloud as I typed, wanting to make sure that my message was perfectly clear. I deleted what I had written, shaking my head in a sort of mock shame.

"What's up, Amy?" I started again, scanning that small question alone for some kind of flaw. "I was wondering if you had plans tomorrow. After all, the film festival is starting at 1:00, so I was wondering if you wanted to go." I looked it over and over again, my finger hovering over the send button.

Finally, I let out a loud exhale, my finger nearly smashing itself onto the backspace button. "Jeez… that sounds totally wrong. Why is asking someone out so hard?" I whispered, looking to try again. I sat there for the better part of ten minutes, but my brain couldn't find a less-embarrassing way to do it. I exhaled loudly, throwing my phone over to my bed.

Sadly, it didn't quite make the trip, hitting the hardwood floor and skidding several feet before making a loud thunk as it hit something under the bed. "Oops…" I nervously laughed, hoping that my phone hadn't cracked.

I reached under the bed, feeling around with my fingers until I felt a cubed shape object in my hands. "Hm? Is this…" I leaned backwards, setting the box beside me, before reaching under once more and finally managing to wrap my fingers around the rubber of my phone's case. "There you are! Ah… not a scratch on you." I smiled, wiping it on my shirt lightly. I slipped it into my pocket, exhaling deeply.

I turned a bit, looking at the box that sat beside me. It wasn't a type of box that I'd seen often- it was a perfect cube, just as long and wide as it was tall. I looked on all sides, hoping for some kind of label as to what was inside.

I found no such thing, lightly grabbing at the top of the box, trying to pry it from the underside. It wouldn't so much as budge, causing me to look for some kind of tape or sealant holding it in place.

"Alright…" I whispered as my investigation had turned up no results. I held the box beneath my arm, pulling as hard as I could on the top. I began to see a faint purple light from inside as the lid came free, my curiosity only becoming piqued even more than it already had been.

The box lid finally came free, slipping from my grasp and sliding several feet across the room before it came to a stop. I picked the box up, looking inside of it. All that met my eye was a bright purple light that nearly blinded me. My head rocketed to the side, trying to shield my eyes. I set it down, opening my eyes back up.

"I suppose it's best left to Mom and Dad, actually." I laughed a bit, walking over to grab the top. I bent over, grabbed it, and stood back up. I turned on my heel, my eyes finally beginning to scan the room around me. Small purple tendrils began to snake their way around the room, each new movement grabbing my attention in a different way. The tendrils began to take shape and form, moving into a circle just below my feet. I wanted to run, but I was too mesmerized by their movements, too enraptured by their brilliance.

My moment of hesitation gave the tendrils a chance to snake up my legs, a burning coldness overtaking them as I began to squirm. "H-Hey! Come on, cut it out!" I yelled in vain, trying to budge. They slowly wound themselves tighter and tighter, moving up my body. I had already lost all control over my legs. I desperately bent over, grasping clumsily for the box that the light was pouring out of. I managed to grab the lip of the box, desperately scrambling to have it closer to me. I began to push with all my might in an attempt to crush it, but to no avail.

I pulled, twisted and yanked, but the box refused to give, simply allowing tendrils to pour from the box onto my arms, slowly solidifying them as well. "Get… off of me!" I spat, my torso convulsing as my last resort to free myself from the bindings.

I felt them slowly encase my neck, moving up my body. My cries of resistance slowly became muffled. My eyes took on the task of screaming, scanning the room for some last-ditch effort.

Finally, my vision blackened. I felt nothing but a cold silence, a void that held no form. Finally, all too quickly, my entire body was suddenly accelerating downwards, my eyes finally beginning to see again. My stomach lurched, trying desperately not to empty out everything I'd eaten since lunch. I was in total freefall, surrounded by a tunnel of purple, rushing lights. They dodged to and fro, weaving within one another to create a light show that simply captivated me. With a glance downwards, I could see that the lights came to a head in front of me, slowly narrowing until I would reach the end.

I quickly saw it approaching, my mouth opened to scream; my vision blackened, and my conscience rapidly faded.


	2. Chapter 2: Light

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody! There weren't any author's notes in the last chapter because it was the pilot, but I plan to put them in where I see fit now. I hope that you all enjoy the chapter. Upload schedule is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the occasional exception (because sometimes life happens). I hope you guys enjoy!**

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My vision slowly refocused as I picked my head up from the gritty dirt; my entire chest feeling like it'd been hit by a ton of bricks. "Oh… dammit, my head." I whispered, wiping the dirt that had decided to take refuge on my elbows off. I got to my knees, trying to control their violent shaking.

I nearly tripped forward, using a block in front of me to balance on. W-Wait… a… block? My eyes riveted to the raised ground in front of me; I slowly began to scan the area. Blocks… everywhere, the world around me was composed of blocks, hills and pillars that rose and fall to make some sort of landscape, the lowest of which seemed to come up to my waist.

I clambered atop it, my body still not fully agreeing to cooperate with me. "Come on…" I grunted, getting to my feet once more and managing to hobble over to lean on a tree. "Jeez… where am I?" I asked, kicking the tree behind me. "...I'm not gonna pretend that this is some kind of prank. I remember what I felt in my room. The tendrils, snaking up my body, they pulled me in here, didn't they?" I smiled, brushing my hair out of my face a bit. "Alright, then, bring it on!" I stood up straight, placing my hands on my hips and throwing my chest forward.

I practically fell over from the sudden displacement of my weight, hitting my head on something thick. "I've been here for two minutes, give me a break!" I cried, turning around to find a chest.

"...Oh, hey. My lucky break." I lightly chuckled, prying the heavy top open, looking inside. Sitting atop the plethora of items, there was a light-red book, reading 'Guide' across the front. I sat down in front of the chest, taking the book into my hands.

"Minecraftia, huh…?" I half-whispered, biting my lip lightly. There was a map of the area, showing several different keeps… and in the middle of all of it was a small forest. Probably… exactly where I was, judging by the small red arrow. I sighed deeply, turning the page and looking at the 'Basics' heading. I bit my lip lightly as I read through, my brow furrowing at some of the instructions. I turned around to dig through the chest for a bit longer. Inside, I found a wooden axe, alongside several different commodities such as food, wool, and even a bottle of milk.

I took them, laying them next to me and checking to make sure that I'd gotten everything out of the chest. I stood up, my legs working slightly better than before, my axe slung over my shoulder- I let loose a mighty swing into the tree, my body buckling in an attempt to stay upright.

I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and dislodged the axe from the tree before reeling backwards once more. "Come on…" I winced in pain, letting the axe fly forward once more. It was a painstaking process, back and forth, trying harder than anything to bring the tree down. After a solid four minutes, the tree finally collapsing in a mess of miniscule blocks, spreading among the dirt. I fell to the ground, sweat dripping into my eyes as I fell onto my back, breathing heavily. Every part of my body still felt like it was weighing me down, and chopping down a tree was far from the best idea for that.

I opened the book once more, my eyes scanning the steps laid out in front of me. "I need... a crafting table. Got it…" I sat up, wincing in pain as I gripped my stomach. Alright, so in that case… I held the small wooden log in my hand, watching as a bright light overtook my vision. In my hand, there were now 4 blocks; all of them had become planks. "Perfect…" I whispered, finally breathing out and leaning on the crafting table I had just formed. "Alright, now…" I rasped, placing an arrangement of wooden planks, watching as a flash formed. I was gifted with sticks, slipping them into my pocket.

I took one more look inside of the book, finally being able to fully absorb the entirety of the information. I needed to make tools, and for that, I needed to make an arrangement of sticks and planks… both of which I had more than enough of.

After around 5 or six minutes of playing around with the different combinations (and another tree, with the leftover energy I had), I'd managed to secure myself a full set of wooden tools. The sun had begun to set, casting an orange light over the entire forest. I breathed out heavily, flipping through the book once more, looking for the next bit of information before I inevitably passed out from exhaustion.

"Chapter 2… Don't… go out… at night." I whispered, barely able to keep my eyes open, lying the book down on my face as I closed my eyes. I felt a sharp realization, sitting up quickly as my eyes practically cooked themselves as I looked incredibly at the square-shaped sun that was sinking below the horizon. "Shit, it's night!" I punched the crafting table, grabbing the microscopic block that it had become and beginning my sprint towards what I hoped was the edge of the forest. I flipped open the book, paying close attention to the map. "Come on, come on…" I whispered, my eyes riveting onto the red arrow. It was steadily moving towards the edge of the forest- the map must have tracked where I was moving, which meant I still had a chance to get somewhere before the moon got into the sky.

"Alright… so if I-" I was cut off as I heard a loud 'thunk' next to me, causing me to jump in the opposite direction. I looked around, a loud clacking noise making its way towards me, getting ever closer. I barely managed to make out the words on the page, my eyes straining themselves. "The mobs are incredibly hostile and will attempt to kill you on sight. If you can get in light, or into shelter, you may survive your first night." I clambered to my feet, sprinting to the other direction, hearing several more noises slowly come towards me.

"How fast can the bastards be?!" I yelled, beginning an even more vigorous sprint, if that were possible. I was only allotted a split-second reaction time as I heard a hiss to my right. I slipped, sliding further along the ground as I looked into several sets of beady red eyes. We seemed to be locked in one another's eyes, neither one of us making a move.

In another second, a loud hiss made its way through the all-too-new nighttime silence, sending me scrambling in the other direction. I dodged through the trees, several branches and leaves scraping up my legs as I leapt through the skirt of the forest, sliding to a stop on grassy ground- but this time, it was in the open. I wanted to begin kissing the ground where I lay, but the noises decided to pursue me, almost suffocating me as they closed in. I stood up shakily, backing up as I held my wooden sword in the direction of the noises. The moon had finally risen, casting its glow on the entire scene.

It took half a second for a fast figure to shoot at me, my only warning being an fast-approaching hiss. I swung my sword instinctively, the form finally becoming clear.

That which I had cleaved in two was a spider- completely made of blocks and cubes, but other than that, a spider. His eyes seemed to drain of color, both parts falling to different sides of my standing form. There was a clack, prompting me to dive to the side as I heard an arrow whizz by where my head had just been. It was a skeleton, holding a wooden bow and producing arrows from seemingly nowhere. My eyes widened in shock, prompting me to take off in a different direction; to be anywhere but where I was standing.

A series of lights caught my eye, another arrow whizzing past my head as I nearly tripped over once more… that's where I had to go, to the lights! I pumped more air into my lungs, trying to brush my hair out of my face as it stuck from the sweat. I leapt down a series of blocks, barely managing to right myself. I turned around, watching as the skeleton took point at the top of the hill, his bow aiming straight for me with a loud clacking noise.

I yelled as I leapt to one side, rolling to a stop, covered in dirt. I took off once more, limping slightly seeing as I had just leapt down what must have been 10 feet… this world was wild…

I ran closer and closer to the lights, the noises around me seeming to die down as I moved. I finally made it into the light, the darkness finally being staved off due to the light's glow. I practically fell over myself, onto the pathway that seemed to be marked with gravel.

The pointed stones dug into my back as I looked to the sky and marveled at the cube moon. "I… have been here for what feels like an hour… and I've almost died countless times." I whispered to no one, lightly picking at the gravel beside me. I let out a heavy breath, my head lolling to one side.

"...Hello?" I heard a voice catch my attention as I turned my gaze in its direction. "Who are you?" It was a… person, made of cubes. A large nose, square head, and his arms folded in a brown cloak that he seemed to wear around his body. "Ah, you must be… you're new to Minecraftia, aren't you? Well… you're fortunate to have made it this far. The two before you… they weren't so lucky. Either way, you're welcome to stay here if you so please…"

I nodded lightly, barely managing a smile before my entire body went limp, my conscience practically flying from my body.

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 **Thanks for reading to the end of the chapter! I hope that you guys enjoy, and by all means, if there is something that needs a bit more explaining, or even if you have any suggestions, I implore you to leave a review. I'm always open to constructive criticism! I hope you guys have a fantastic day, and I'll catch you in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3: Dawn

I shot up in bed, sweat running down my forehead, my eyes closed. "Jeez… what a wild dream. That's the last time that I-" I opened my eyes, blinking once or twice in an attempt to accurately register what sat in front of me.

There were the same old planks that I had seen before I passed out. The chest next to my bed looked familiar, and even the bed that I was on seemed all-too square for this to be my home. My head hit the wall as I inhaled deeply, trying to clear my mind. "Alright… so I'm still in this weird place, I guess. I suppose the next step… is to figure out how to get home." I swung my legs over the side of the bed, rummaging through my pockets momentarily.

"Ah… nice to see that you're up." I heard a voice coming through the door. It was the same cube-person that I had seen before I passed out last night. "For a while there, we were beginning to wonder just how long you would sleep- it has been a day now, after all."

I saw the sun streaming in through the windows, causing me to squint as I turned my gaze to the floor, resting my elbows on my knees. "Minecraftia, huh?" I whispered, my eyes meeting his. "That's the name of this place, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's correct." He nodded once, pointing to the chest that sat next to the bed. "I put all of your things in there, in case you need them. Minecraftia is far from a safe place- you'd be hard-pressed to find something that's not out to kill you." He grimaced, walking further into the house and sitting on a chair across the room. "Now, that aside… do you have any questions?"  
"Nah… I think the only thing that I really need to know is how to get better weapons… this sharp stick…" I took my wooden sword from the chest, shaking my head in disapproval. "...won't hold up for long, I imagine."

"Well, you're in luck. It just so happens that it's the third day of the week- that's when we send a mining party out to get materials for the town. You can join them, if you like." I took a deep breath, taking my guidebook from the chest.

"The next step IS cobblestone, isn't it?" I asked, looking at the 3rd chapter, simply labelled: "Getting an Upgrade." Apparently, cobblestone was needed in order to progress any further, so I suppose it couldn't hurt. "Alright, then let's take a swing at it." I smiled, turning around and looking at the villager. "I'm Brad del Riccio. Thanks for taking me in, and it's nice to meet you."

After exchanging pleasantries (the villager's name happened to be Adam), and grabbing all of the things inside of the chest, he led me out of his home, directing me towards a group of villagers that all sat around, men and women alike as they joked with one another- I'm guessing that they were ready to go to the mines, given their tools at their side.

"Alright, guys! Settle down, we're heading out!" Adam yelled, reining in the entire group as they gave him their attention. The entire group began to move in tandem, walking towards some location that was unknown to me. I just decided to follow the group.

I took my pick out of my pocket, looking it up and down. "You really are a sorry sight, aren't you?" I chuckled under my breath, holding it at my side.

We reached the mine in about an hour, my ears deciding to jump into random conversations, hearing about some local gossip, or even learning some things about the world itself. Apparently, the reason that the monsters die during the day is because the sun burns them away, and in the case of spiders, they lose their hostility during the day. It seems the sun was my closest friend as of right now.

We descended some crude stairs into the lit cavern, the villagers falling deathly quiet. Their eyes seemed to scan the walls with their picks at their side. I followed behind them, observant. I didn't have the first clue about what I was doing down here, and call me a pessimist, I really didn't expect them to help me. I produced the small guidebook from my pocket, turning to Chapter 3: "Getting an Upgrade."

"Wood is only going to be functional for so long. It doesn't hit very hard and has a very limited selection of blocks and ores that it's capable of mining. On top of that, the durability is very low, so the chances of it breaking are much higher. That said, it is useful for one thing—and that's mining cobblestone. Cobblestone is the next tier up, so upgrade to it as soon as possible." I whispered to myself, sighing quietly.

I calmly slipped my guidebook back into my pocket and brought my pick out once more. I was surrounded by stone to mine, so it's not like there wasn't an abundance… I sighed once more, approaching one of the walls, drawing the attention of a few villagers due to my sudden movement.

I swung at the wall a few times, watching as a small stone block broke off of it. I did this several more times, watching as more and more villagers looked at me. I finished that, placing a crafting table on the ground and forming the correct formation with the new-found cobblestone and sticks. I even had enough to make myself a sword and a shovel.

"Alright… looking nice." I said to no one in particular, lightly moving my new stone sword through the air. "I guess I'm not completely helpless after all!" I smiled, watching as the villager party nodded solemnly and began walking down the stairs once more. I followed, and after several minutes, we arrived at a mine shaft. There were wooden structures holding the ceiling in place… otherwise the entire place might cave in.

I momentarily shuttered at the thought and continued following the villagers until we came to a fork. They all stopped dead in their tracks, looking towards the center of their moving mass in order to figure out what was happening.

Adam nodded once, opening his mouth to speak. "Alright, guys, make sure that you're on the lookout for iron. Weapon and tool supplies is running low, and our troop count in the way of juggernauts isn't looking too hot. That means that we're gonna need iron for tools and armor, do you understand?" Everyone nodded, and scattered off. I approached Adam afterwards, holding my pick at my side.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask… what does iron look like?" He nodded once, volunteering to take me through the mine himself. I agreed, following close behind as he began on his trek through the mines. "Thanks, by the way… I feel like if I hadn't discovered your village, I'd probably be taking a dirt nap!" I laughed, earning a wave of the hand that almost said "don't mention it."

"Nah, we kind of felt an obligation to help you on this one. We've seen a few 'non-cube' humans drop into Minecraftia completely unannounced. We didn't exactly get the chance to help them, so the least that we can do is help you out." He smiled and began laughing heartily, completely stopping in his tracks. I began to laugh along with him, the laughter dissolving in a matter of around 30 seconds.

He began walking again, his fingers clenching around his pick. "…Are you alright? You seem… tense." I whispered, earning a surprised look from him. "I mean, sorry to pry, I just—"

"No… you're right, there's something off. Like a very powerful mob is coming towards us. Or worse yet…" His eyes widened in shock, and he instantly grabbed my hand. "No, we're not going to go that way. Come on, Brad." He pulled me back the direction we came in only to stop immediately.

"Hey there, sweethearts." A feminine voice asked, drawing my eyes up to the source of the voice. I heard a scuttling noise, my eyes beginning to dart around the mineshaft. This particular part opened up into another cave system, so it was no surprise that something might attack… but what had Adam spooked this badly?

Two projectiles flew at us, and Adam reacted quick enough to get us both out of the way, allowing them to splat loudly (yet harmlessly) on the ground. "Ooh… that's cute, truly… The way that you think you stand a chance. The way that you're going to keep fighting…" I saw two red eyes looking at us through the dark, and watched as they ascended the wall.

"What the hell… is that?" I asked, drawing my stone sword, brandishing it for the monster to see.

"Brad, you can't fight this thing, we need to find a way out!" Adam said, turning and nearly yelling at me. "Come on…" He looked to the direction that we were walking, and a large web seemingly barred our escape in that direction. "Then we'll go this way!" He yelled, gripping my arm and pulling me down the mineshaft.

I looked behind us as the red eyes—now upside down—crawled behind us on the ceiling, moving closer and closer. "Adam, that thing is closing in on us!" Adam simply shook his head, quickening his pace even more. He released my arm, allowing me to run on my own.

"Brad… this mineshaft loops around, I'm sure that we can make it to the others. We probably won't be able to kill her, but we can drive her away!" I cocked my head to one side, watching as the thing behind us crossed into the torchlight.

What I saw was… what looked like a human girl with a short, petite frame crawling along the ceiling. Her somewhat short, purple hair was pulled to two sides, and seemed spiked on both sides, with small red beads holding them in place. She wore a blue hoodie over her body that seemed to fall to her mid-thigh, where one could _just_ manage to see her shorts. She was cute, to say the least—but with how Adam was reacting, I expected that whoever this was… was the last person in Minecraftia that I wanted to be messing with.

"Come on, this way!" Adam pulled me out of my own thoughts, and pulled me into a different direction. The spider-like girl took a moment to readjust herself, making her lose some ground. She laughed, her high-pitched giggle reverberating off of the walls and shooting around in my skull.

"Come on, I promise that I won't bite… too hard…" She giggled once more, and I watched as Adam began to panic. I looked ahead and realized why. In front of us, covering the entirety of the corridor, was a giant spider web.

There was no way out; we were trapped… like flies in this spider's twisted web.

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 **This wasn't exactly a short chapter, so thank you for reading to the end, once more. I want to thank you guys for all of your feedback, if you're willing to give it- reviews are the best way to let someone know how they can improve as a writer, so I hope you guys will tell me how I can get better! Thanks again, I'll see you in the next chapter, and I hope that you're having a fantastic day.**


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